Qi Xiang was staying this ti as the professors’ research assistant. Normally, she would have lived over at the experintal farm, where a residential area had already been constructed.
The dormitory building there was far more spacious and bright than Gu Xi’s shipping container ho.
But Qi Xiang refused.
She claid she and Gu Xi had hit it off imdiately, that they were like sisters from different mothers, and insisted on living together.
Gu Xi was quite curious about her Golden Carp Luck ability, so after a mont’s thought, she nodded in agreent.
Wei Heng, however, didn’t look too pleased.
After quickly stowing Qi Xiang’s luggage, the two of them headed for the experintal farm.
Qi Xiang was going to report for duty.
As for Gu Xi... the two professors had only given her a single day off yesterday.
Although she suspected the professors would be swamped today and might not have ti for her, Gu Xi went anyway.
’She might not be well-read, but she still understood the importance of respecting her teachers.’
Even though the professors were a bit demonic during class, they were genuinely teaching her with great care.
It was a kindness she had to accept.
Sure enough, the two professors were very busy today. When they saw Gu Xi, they only gave her a few hurried instructions before sending her ho. Qi Xiang, however, was asked to stay.
There was no helping it; the experintal farm was desperately short of skilled personnel.
Although the professors had requested research assistants long ago, those people were all at the Agricultural University in the Central Base, a world away from South City Base.
With the savage, rampant growth of the flora, the railway lines had long since fallen into disuse.
As for the skies... although years of military culling operations had eliminated most of the dangerous mutated animals, it was inevitable that so slipped through the cracks.
For instance... a few formidable mutated birds.
Civilian air travel had been grounded for years. These days, only military and governnt aircraft could take to the skies, and only with powerful ability users assigned as escorts.
But even then, it wasn’t entirely safe.
For ordinary people who wanted to travel far, driving was the only option left.
South City Base was the base furthest from the Central Base. On top of that, the road conditions in the current environnt were so terrible that it was practically like off-roading across a prairie.
So even though Mr. Zhao’s students had departed the mont they were notified, they were still bouncing along on the road.
They probably wouldn’t arrive for several more days.
This was also why the last-minute application Qi Xiang submitted last night had been approved first thing this morning.
It wasn’t because Dr. Qi had pulled so strings for her, but because the professors were simply that desperate for people.
With Qi Xiang conscripted into service, Gu Xi had nothing to do, so she wandered around the experintal farm for a while before heading back.
In the distance, she saw Qin Yi waving enthusiastically to her.
Qin Yi was still shaken from that day’s class and didn’t dare get too close to the experintal farm, terrified that the two professors—who were far too eager to lecture—would drag her back for another lesson.
It had been absolutely terrifying.
So, she just waited at a distance, outside the experintal farm.
The sweet girl finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Gu Xi erge alone, and she trotted over to et her.
"Gu Xiaoxi, we want to plant so vegetables..." Qin Yi got straight to the point.
They had planted a lot of grain yesterday, but that would only temporarily solve the urgent needs of the troops on the front lines.
Qin Yi had learned from an old comrade yesterday that their brothers-in-arms on the outskirts of Heng Mountain had been eating nothing but dry rations for more than half a month.
’In this goddamn world, all the plants have mutated. The guys’ throats are so dry... they can’t even get a sip of wild vegetable soup.’
So after returning, the two sisters decided they wanted to plant so vegetables to send over.
They were only a little over three hundred li from the outskirts of Heng Mountain, just a one- or two-day drive. Sending back so radishes and cabbages would be a nice treat for the n.
The two of them couldn’t just be here eating and drinking their fill while their brothers-in-arms were on the front lines, eating dirt and fighting the enemy, could they?
’What kind of person would do that?’
But while Qin Yi was a Wood Elent user, her talent for planting hadn’t been unlocked—the seedlings she stimulated generally had a higher mutation factor than the original seeds.
So after discussing it, the two sisters thought of Gu Xi.
Gu Xi thought for a mont and agreed. ’Let people be suspicious if they want. I’ve already planted so much grain, what’s a few more vegetables?’
When the two of them returned, they discovered that it wasn’t just Qin Yi clearing land. Across the stream, Wei Heng was also on a tiller.
Wei Heng’s reasoning was simple and down-to-earth. ’Even though the professors recomnded letting their land rest and recover for a while, they couldn’t just let it lie fallow and be overrun by weeds.’
So, when he saw Qin Shi tilling the land across the way that morning, he had gotten on the tiller himself. He figured he would give their own patch of land a deep tilling too. It would, uh... help the wild mutant plants return to nature and fertilize the soil in the process.
The young people busied themselves all morning, planting over two hundred mu of napa cabbage, daikon radishes, small cucumbers, and large tomatoes...
While the Qin Family sisters were busy harvesting the vegetables, Wei Heng sidled up to Gu Xi and asked discreetly, "Should I make lunch for Qi Xiang?"
Shen Yue had transferred so money over a few days ago, but that was just for his and the two professors’ living expenses. Wei Heng and Gu Xi weren’t responsible for what the other staff at the experintal farm ate.
He wasn’t asking because he was stingy with a few sweet potatoes.
Rather, he needed to gauge Gu Xi’s feelings about Qi Xiang.
Wei Heng knew that Gu Xi had her secrets, so sotis he wasn’t sure how far he should involve himself.
Gu Xi thought for a mont, then said, "Let’s not just have stead sweet potatoes for lunch. Go ahead and stir-fry a few more dishes."
As she spoke, she casually plucked a large napa cabbage and two big radishes from a nearby plot and shoved them into Wei Heng’s arms.
Wei Heng stared down at the cabbage and radishes in his arms, feeling a genuine pang of envy. ’So people are just born lucky...’
Then he heard Gu Xi say, "Didn’t that friend of yours arrive as well?"
Wei Heng froze for a second, then slowly looked up. Gu Xi had a slight arch in her eyebrow. "Don’t you want to give him a proper welco?" She could tell Wei Heng seed to value this friend highly.
Wei Heng... Wei Heng felt a complex mix of emotions. He had thought the vegetables were for Qi Xiang, but it turned out...
After a mont’s thought, he clutched the cabbage tighter and shook his head. "Mr. Ye... he probably won’t co over to eat."
Gu Xi raised an eyebrow. ’How could that be? This morning, the man had repeatedly glanced over at Wei Heng. He clearly wanted a chance to talk to him properly...’
If anything, it was Wei Heng who seed to be avoiding him.
But Gu Xi wasn’t one for prying. Seeing that Wei Heng didn’t want to talk, she didn’t press the issue.
Just then, Qin Yi brushed the dirt off her clothes and squatted down beside them. "What’s for lunch?" she asked Wei Heng.
Wei Heng glanced up at her, his face impassive. "...Radishes and cabbage."
Qin Yi’s face fell, her two dimples nearly vanishing in dismay. "Wei Heng, we’ve been eating sweet potatoes with radishes and cabbage for days now. Can’t you mix up the nu a little?"
Wei Heng let out a dry laugh, slowly got to his feet, and looked at Qin Yi, who was now trying to act cute and wheedle a better al out of Gu Xi. "How about you cook?"
’You’re a freeloader who can’t even stir-fry a damn cabbage. You should be grateful you’re getting fed at all, and you have the nerve to be picky?’
Qin Yi wasn’t the least bit afraid of him. She shot him a defiant look, then turned and threw her arms around Gu Xi’s. "Gu Xi, for lunch I want pickled cucumbers, and candied tomatoes..."
When a sweet girl puts on the charm, even a man of steel will yield.
Gu Xi could only look up at Wei Heng. "..."
Wei Heng... turned and walked away.
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